Man, oh man, it sure seems that it is all but impossible to
approach certain topics from a non-partisan standpoint these days! Discussion on anything from favorite football
teams to whether you prefer light or dark chocolate seems to have a political
slant. Ok, that might be a bit of an exaggeration,
or at least the chocolate part is . A
while back, I had a conversation with a friend that touched on this, and they
said something that has been ringing in my head ever since. My friend (We’ll call her Alice, since I
don’t remember who it actually was) said that the dangerous thing that seems to
have happened is that people have begun taking their beliefs as fact. This idea troubles me. Fact shouldn’t be subjective. Fact isn’t moral or amoral, and it most
certainly isn’t Republican or Democrat.
A fact is something that has been proven to be true, without room for argument. As long as you are alive, or at least not in
a coma, you will wake up every day. That
is a fact. Do you want another fact? The sun is bright. There is no one that can dispute either of
these things. I suppose that since we
now have facts on the table, we should have an example of something that is
construed as a fact, but in truth it is not.
Many people seem to believe that marijuana is bad for you and should
remain illegal throughout the nation.
This is not a fact, it is an opinion.
You could easily make the argument (that would be closer to scientific
fact), that alcohol is leaps and bounds worse for you than marijuana ever could
be.

Let’s bring it back to the set of facts that I’m writing
about. And yes, I mean facts, not
opinions disguised as facts. Over the
past few years, we have encountered one of the warmest spring/summer’s on
record, massive droughts cover much of our country, and as a contrast to the
droughts, the Midwestern states just wrapped up a winter that set records for having
the most days (53!) below zero, which brought no shortage of snow. When was the last winter that there were more
days below zero in Minneapolis? 1874-75.
Scientists worldwide agree that the world as a whole is getting warmer, and
in many places the winters are getting colder, both of which will have drastic
effects on virtually every species on the planet. There are some people that say that it’s just
part of another natural cycle for the Earth, and yes, the Earth has always gone in cycles,
and there is bound to eventually be an intense warmup & cool down, which
will probably lead to another ice age. But even though there are cycles to our
planet, it is foolish to believe that for everything we have put into the
atmosphere that we have not altered the natural cycle.

Over the past few months, there have been a number of high
level policy makers that have gone on record as saying that they can’t comment
on climate change because they’re not scientists. If you take this at face value, it seems like
one of the most astute and pragmatic things that any of our elected officials
have ever said. I never like to be the
bearer of bad news, but sadly, that’s not quite how they meant it. What should come as no surprise is that
instead of meaning this as a rational statement to find solutions and consult
actual scientists about possible solutions and future actions, it was meant to
delay legislation and serve as an excuse for inaction. “I’m not a scientist” also means that “I’m
not going to vote for that piece of environmental legislation, even though I
know it probably helps solve the problem, and I’m not going to vote for it
because I’m terrified of the 24 hour news cycle, and that I would look like
anything less than the most extreme embodiment of my party.” Ok, that last quote I made up, but that’s
what these politicians are really saying.
Anyone with a reasonable and grounded mind can see the writing on the
wall.

I applaud these policy makers for being able to at least
begin admitting that they don’t have all the answers, even if it was motivated
by excuses on par with those given by 3rd graders. So let’s not get cynical about it, and pat
these politicians on the back. They’re
admitting that they have a problem, which if you’ve ever been in rehab, you
know that is the first step for finding a solution. In this case, the next step is asking the
people that actually are scientists what is happening, and what factors are
contributing to this.

Right or left, Republican or Democrat, it doesn’t matter
which way you lean, the time for action is now.
Real, live, actual scientists all around the world are pressing for
change and trying to talk sense into many of these politicians that write our
policies. The environment, and it’s
well-being should not be a political stance.
Not caring about the environment, and willingly trashing (pun intended)
all legislation that supports it is not a conservative value. However, it is completely stupid and terribly
shortsighted. Politicians always like to
hold press conferences where they can talk about how they just want to leave
this country a better place than it was when they got here, so their children
inherit a stronger tomorrow. Let’s start
calling them out on this. If they truly
are more worried about tomorrow than today, about their grandchildren’s
livelihood than their current ability to hold a job, they need to start passing
environmentally friendly legislation.

Hopefully by now, you’re saying to yourself something like “Yeah,
damn right, politicians! Start passing
legislation that improves the air we breathe instead of advocating for more
coal mines.” So the next step is
action. And this is where it gets a
little tricky. While I understand that the
popular thing to do in this country when it comes to protesting politics is to
make a pretty sign, and go chant some slogan in front of some semi-important building. Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,
but that doesn’t work. At all,
ever. So let’s do something that
matters. What makes this country turn?
Money. What do these politicians care
about almost as much as getting reelected?
Money. Go out and make a
statement. Instead of buying a fancy
crossover, or SUV, buy a Nissan Leaf.
Instead of buying a few dozen bottles of water at Costco, buy a few
reusable Nalgene’s. Make a statement
with your purchases, and the companies
that curry for political favors will notice, and then hopefully, they’ll start
passing that awareness on to our politicians in Washington.

As human beings, we have a diverse set of beliefs. There are different religions, cultures, and superstitions. This is not the problem. The problem is that when it comes to
following through on these beliefs and superstitions, specifically things like
pangolin meat being a delicacy and believing that their scales have medicinal
tendencies, we often turn a blind eye to what species are affected by
them. Justification will come in the
form of either ignoring the problem all together, or believing that the superstitions
or beliefs outweigh the animal’s right to life.
As human beings, we tend to be empathetic and care about the plight of
species like the pangolin, but as soon as a long held cultural belief comes
into play, we become unaware and numb.
This trend needs to stop. We cannot
be compassionate and responsible only part of the time. We cannot search for growth and education,
while refusing to admit that old habits need to go.

When we consume with the level of reckless abandon that we
have been, hundreds, if not thousands of species all around the world are
hurt. I’d like to believe that when it
comes to this chain of consequence, we don’t do it intentionally. It seems more than a little malicious and
non-sensical for any of us to have any sort of vendetta against interesting
creatures such as the pangolin. But regardless of intent, just because an
animal’s meat is considered to be a delicacy, or its outer coat to be pretty,
we don’t have to consume it. There are
plenty of things in life that are much better off, for all species involved,
when the need to consume or own isn’t there.

The fact of the matter is this: Virtually every species in
the world plays an important part in their own eco-systems. Frequently they are links in these systems
that we don’t respect the importance.
There is a delicate balance that the Earth has built in these
ecosystems, and we seem to be disrupting them at will. Whether they are funny looking, tasty,
pretty, or part of regional belief systems, every species plays an important
role. For us as humans, to be so
terribly short sighted with our selfishness and think only of our own desires,
is irresponsible. For every species that we lust after and consume at will, we
are interrupting a vital part of this planet that we live on. Instead of consuming with reckless abandon,
we need to practice self-restraint and view species like the pangolin from afar. It will be better for everyone, both pangolin
and human, in the long run.

Let’s talk about pangolins.
I’m sure that there is nothing else that you would rather talk about
right now. In fact, I’d be willing to
bet that your appreciation of this awesome little species id what brought you
to this blog. If it isn’t, and you’ve
just stumbled across it, you should keep on reading. If it’s right where you want to be, you
should also keep on reading. This is the
second in a three part series that focuses on human consumption and the far
reaching effects of it. In the first
part of the series, I wrote about the mindsets that surround over consumption,
in this post I will tell you about a species that is rapidly disappearing due
to said consumption, and in the third and final part, I will attempt to
motivate you towards being more self-aware of how your desires for consumption
(don’t lie, we all have them), end up having far-reaching and often unintended
effects.

So anyways, back to the pangolin. Pangolins are pretty cool little
creatures. They are part of the same
family as their larger cousin the anteater, and much of their life is spent in
the same fashion as the anteater. They
almost exclusively eat insects, and they live on a few different
continents. If you’d like to learn more
about pangolin’s as a whole, check out this awesome website, that my classmates
put together: www.pangolinsummer.weebly.com

Sadly, extinction is right around the corner for these guys,
but they are not unique in the sense that they did nothing to bring this
struggle upon themselves. There are
species all over the world that face similar problems. Every continent and every country have a
few. I am not the type of person that
can be described as a bleeding heart, but I don’t think that species like the
pangolin have done anything to invite extinction.

While
pangolins are the most heavily trafficked animals on the world but they don’t receive
the attention as big cats (lions, tigers, leopards, etc.) or elephant or bear. Also, the pangolins weren’t known by everyone and they are easy to mess up with another anteater, aardvarks or moles.The most important reason is that they are not popular. Second reason is that
the organizations don’t have enough fun to expend their work. Governments in Southeast Asia and China have been slow to crack down on the illegal trade.

Anteater

Aardvarks

Mole

The
time for action is now or it’s too late to do anything to save the most amazing
animal, pangolin.

The
easiest thing we can do is support organizations that help and save pangolins. When we travel to Southeast Asia or China, we shouldn't east or buy pangolins' products and report those actions to polices. This is some of the organizations.

Most
important action is that helps change people’s minds by make pangolins popular. The easy way is that people can use the internet,
social network to share the information, news, pictures about pangolins. So their
friends and families can know who they are and what happen to those amazing
pangolin and share them. Some other way is that we can suggest movie companies
can create movie or cartoon about the pangolin. The most famous Japanese anime and
game is known as Pokémon that have two animal characters were designed based on
the pangolin, Sandshrew and Sandslash.

Sandshrew and Sandslash

They aren’t succeeded to make pangolin
popular but some other American cartoon movie can do it. Let’s them become more
popular and famous such as Mickey Mouse (The Walt Disney) or Minion (Universal
Studios) and give them name.

The endangered pangolin is known as
a delicacy in Asia and Africa. You won’t find pangolin served in just any
restaurant, but this mammal is usually found in a “high class” restaurant.
These restaurants buy pangolins off of the black market because that is the
only place that one can buy pangolins. Pangolins have to be purchased through
this matter because they are endangered and are illegal to buy and/or sell.

If one was fortunate enough, or let’s
say unfortunate enough, to find a restaurant that serves pangolin, it is
extremely expensive. Pangolin delicacies range anywhere from $1,750 to $7,000.
When ordering a pangolin in a restaurant one must order the entire pangolin because
this is a way that the restaurant shows true quality of the endangered species.
Restaurants are even known to trophy the pangolin on your table alive and kill
it right there in front of you. They do this for the reassurance that this is
actual pangolin meat and that whoever ordered the pangolin isn’t receiving a
knock-off.

Restaurants serve pangolin in many
different ways. Pangolin blood is a delicacy along with their meat and scales.
Pangolin blood is usually served with wine. Stir-fried pangolin skin with
onions and mushrooms along with grilled pangolin are also very popular
dishes. Pangolins have been described as “better than chicken” and “delicious.”
These reports are hard to believe. How could one really enjoy eating an
endangered species at a restaurant? There has to be a place in everyone’s thoughts
that see’s the important and severity of this issue. Pangolins are endangered.
They will continue to be endangered until they are all gone and the plates at restaurants
are empty. This is unless people start taking the matter seriously and protect
pangolins in their natural habitats.

Pangolins are not vicious
creatures; they are more like a pinecone. Pangolins defensive position is to
roll up like a ball making it hard for predators to grab ahold. This is the
pangolins only defensive technique. They don’t have razor sharp claws or spikes
to keep predators away especially the ones that are most dangerous; humans.
Pangolin’s defensive position makes it easy for poachers to just pick pangolins
up and throw them in a bag. Poachers first use a pack of hunting dogs to locate
the pangolins. Once they are found they either set up snares in front of their
home that are located on the ground and wait for them to come out or they just
pick them up and toss them in a bag.

Poachers do not
kill pangolins because they are worth more alive. After poachers capture
pangolins they either freeze them alive or give them a sedative. Poachers and
smugglers usually use these two techniques because pangolins do not handle
stress well. Pangolins usually end up dead before they reach their final
destination when being smuggled, thus making it bad for business. Restaurants
want to be able to show their high paying customers that they are receiving a
fresh endangered delicacy. The worth of pangolins to a poacher is about
$22.5 per Kilo. The worth of a pangolin to a restaurant sky rockets to $350 per
kilo to a restaurant in Vietnam.

20 percent of pangolins’ body weight is their scales that
are made of keratin, the same element with human finger nails.

Pangolin can dig in the ground, swim and swings from tree by
its tail.

Chinese pangolins have ears that look almost human while African
pangolins look like mini T-Rexes when they toddling on their back legs. Their maximum
speed is up to three miles per hours when they use their long tail for support
and run by their two back legs.

Pangolins are perfect tools for self-defense. Pangolins can roll
up into a ball when endangered and use their sharp scales to lash out. Also,
they have scent glands similar to those of the skunk which they can use to
spray enemies.

Pangolins are one of the oddest mammals. Pangolins are
ancient creatures and the earliest fossils of the Cape Pangolin species itself
date back 40 million years. These pangolins play vital roles in many tropical and
subtropical ecosystems but most people don’t know their existence.

Pangolins were so common perhaps a decade ago. In some parts
of Indonesia, pangolins could literally hit by cars. It’s unbelievable that
none of the pangolins died on impact and that might never happens again.

Minimum each year there are 10,000 pangolins are trafficked illegally.
And up to 116.990 to 23,980 pangolins were traded in two years (according to Annamitucus,
an advocacy group).

Some people said pangolin tasted like chicken; and reason
they eta pangolin because pangolin is rare and expensive. In Vietnam, the price
of pangolin is $350 per kilo (~2.2 pounds) but the pangolin-hunters (not only
in Vietnam) only get paid under $30 per kilo.

No one can know how many pangolins still live in the wild
and the pangolin could disappear forever before everyone realizes it exists.

As a child, I remember summers wandering the yard in search of potato bugs. I would live rocks, logs, and move dirt around hoping to catch one of these grey little bugs. I would grab one and place it in my palm. Acting in self-defense, the potato bug would roll itself into a tiny ball. I loved watching this thing completely transform itself from flat and mobile to round and contained. It was magic. How could something be so evolved to know that I was a threat and that the only way to protect itself was to roll up in a ball?

As I began my research on pangolins, I recognized that their defense mechanism was almost identical to the potato bugs I searched for so many years ago. They have short legs and roll up in a ball when threatened. The differ in their clawed front feet which make them slow and unable to outrun predators (lions, tigers, leopards and hyenas). The species wouldn't have survived if they weren't able to adapt to protect themselves from these predators. Rolling up in a tight ball, similar to potato bugs, the pangolin then has scales to shield them from gnashing teeth. No, the pangolin isn't a fish or reptile. It is a mammal with scales - strong, fingernail-like scales (their scales are made of keratin, the stuff your fingernails are composed of).

Another fantastic example of evolution lies in the function of the pangolin's scales. Their diet is comprised of ants and termites. When they nuzzle into a termite nest, the insects try and protect themselves by biting their predators. The pangolin's scales lift to allow the termites in (giving the termites false hope in biting) and then close, killing the termites. After their meal, the pangolin heads to water. They again lift their scales, bringing water in. The water and dead termites act as an exfoliant, cleaning and ridding the pangolin of dust and dirt.

Their taste for ants and termites is satiated by using their long tongue, similar to an anteaters, to extract their insect meal.

When reading about pangolins, who they are as a species and how they have evolved, I think of my potato bug exploring days. I would love to be able to have a night spent tracking and observing these fascinating, nocturnal pangolins much like I did with potato bugs as a child. If we continue to illegally poach and sell, I fear that little dream of mine will no longer be possible.

This is the first in a three part series about the far
reaching effects of human consumption.

Growing up, my parents were always reminding me that every
action deserves an equal reaction. For
the longest time, I felt that this was their own Alaskan version of the golden
rule. Boy was I surprised when I got
older, attended a few science classes, and found out that they were actually
stealing their motto from the wide world of physics. Now grown up, I’m not a physicist, but I do
still hold that advice as a way to view my actions in life. Every action that each of us takes has
consequences. Every consequence is a
reaction, of equal force. The reaction
may not always manifest itself in expected fashion, in fact, reactions are
frequently unpredictable.

Before I bore you by spending more time waxing nostalgic about
my childhood, I’ll get to the point.
Human beings consume. We consume
virtually everything that we possibly can.
To narrow the scope, let’s talk about Americans specifically. Due to the culture that we’ve built, Americans
consume products at a rate that has been previously unheard of. When it comes to food, resources, technology,
textiles, and virtually anything new, we seem to be unable to ever get
enough. There are of course outliers and
exceptions to this statement, but as a whole, it’s what we do. The case could even be made that it has
become our national identity. We are
trendsetters, builders, and devourers.

We could debate the morality of this all day long, but that
is not what we are here for. Quite
simply, all of this devouring consumption has to be supplied from
somewhere. Our consumption has far
reaching effects. It affects other
humans, political systems, and parts of civilization, it affects the animals
that we use for both food and product, and it affects our future on this
planet. This is something that as Americans
we either choose to ignore, or just prefer to remain in blissful ignorance
about. When we offer a lip service of
concern for these animals, societies, and environments, it is almost always a
momentary thought. Something that passes
as quickly as our food fads, or our ability to remember how to drive in
inclement weather. When it happens, we’re
interested in learning for a moment, we seem to figure it all out, and then
faster than a blink, our awareness and desire for action has disappeared.

There are multiple ways one can help to keep pangolins from becoming extinct. All 8 species at this point are likely to become extinct, the Asian species are listed as critically endangered or endangered. Pangolins rarely survive in captivity, therefore it is crucial that the areas where pangolin habitats are common be protected from illegal traffickers. Since pangolins are nocturnal and solitary creatures not much is known about their population levels or ecology which further complicates their chances of survival.

Monetary value assigned to a pangolin by different traffickers

Pangolins have become the most trafficked animal in Asia

There are many different approaches to increase the likelihood that generations to come will have this creature in the wild. Perhaps the most important is to improve the biological knowledge base so that scientist, governments, wildlife authorities, and local communities will have a better understanding of these species. It is likely that with this additional knowledge captured pangolins will have a greater chance of surviving in captivity.

Another important factor is raising awareness through education programs targeting not only to individuals but local communities and officials to ensure that pangolin habitats are protected. By maintaining a healthy balance of plants and animals in dry lowland rainforest in Harapan Rainforest local communities, government and NGOs have managed to provide a range of essential environmental services that ensure the survival of pangolins while being a source of nature-based tourism and research opportunity.

Rescue and rehability centers for pangolins are important since live animals are often confiscated from traffickers. However since pangolins are difficult to maintain in captivity the primary focus should be the prevention of removing pangolins from the wild in the first place. There are two large programs in Vietnam and Cambodia targeted at caring for rescued and injured pangolins. The Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) in Cambodia even has a special pangolin holding and breeding facility.

Hunter _ Pangolins are carnivorous animals and their diet is
fairly simple and straightforward. They are incredible ants and termites
hunters. Also, larvae and a few other insects are their meals too. Their bodies
have specially design to achieve high efficiency in hunt termites. They have
great sense of smell for sniffing out these insects underground and their
powerful front claws are perfect tool for breaking into termite colonies and scratching
the surface for ant colonies. They don’t need teeth because they can use their long
pink tongues to probe deep into along the termite channels. Moreover, their chests
have glands to lubricate the incredible sticky and ant catching saliva long
tongues. Their eyes have specially designed to protect and keep termites out
while they are eating. Some pangolins that live in tree can use their amazing tail
to strip away bark from the trunk to exposing insect nests inside. According to
the U.S. National Park Service, it’s lucky that termites and ants still exists
while one pangolin can eat 200 thousands termites per days (about 70 million
per year).

Without pangolin, the number of ants and termites will be
fast increase and harm environment as well as human such as farming.

Hunted _ In the wild, large cat species, such as lions,
leopards, tigers, and hyenas, are mainly predators that consume pangolins.
However, pangolins’ self-defense is extremely strong due to their ability to
roll into ball with their scales. On the other hand, a big wild dog is not
biggest predator but humans. In Chinese Traditional Medicine, pangolins’ scales
and body parts are believed to help a range of illnesses but there is no
scientific evidence to prove it. Their meat is like chicken and their scales is like human's nail. The world and many governments urged to stop
hunting and eating pangolins, and commercial trade is banned. Human is driving
pangolins toward extinction with nonsense reason, so please stop eating and
using pangolin.

However, this peaceful, nocturnal, unique looking mammal is on the verge of extinction because we like how it tastes. Because it is illegal to poach, the price tag increases dramatically creating a black market delicacy.

Although alternatives to pangolin meat are not as exotic, I feel as though it is a small sacrifice to endure to save a species.

There are amazing dishes out there that are great alternatives to our little, scaly friends, the pangolin. We just need to be a bit more creative and resourceful in discovering new ways to prepare them.

I want to protect these little guys and have decided to post my blog on what we can eat instead (rare, expensive or not) instead of my scaly friends.

EAT THIS...

An artichoke (it looks similar to the pangolin but is Vegan and Gluten Free)

Ways to eat: (make sure you are wearing elastic waisted pants)
Can be baked, churned, melted, grilled, microwaved, in a campfire (dutch oven cobbler anyone?).
You can socialize while eating in restaurants, cafes and bars. You will win over your boss if you gift them a pint of some specialty ice cream from Salt + Straw in Portland, Oregon.

There is no need to consume pangolins when there are so many options of delicious foods that will impress more than our endangered friend.

Pangolins
are species of mammal and nurse their young with milk. They are creatures of the night
and verytimid, shy,slow, and live alone or in pairs. There are eight species (some
recourses said only seven species) of pangolins in Asia and Africa. Some
of the species of pangolin's are arboreal, which means they live in trees, and
some live in a burrow.

At birth, the young pangolins are pale and its scales become
to strengthen by the next day. The babies with 6 inches longs body and 12 ounces
weights is folded in their mother’s lap or rolled body. After about 4 months of
nursed, the small pangolin can begins to eat young termites (about a month old)
so the infant can go hunt with their mother by (perhaps) riding on their mother’s
tail.

The
adult pangolins have a longbody, short legsanda low, smallpointedhead with longtail. Their upper
part, from nose to tail is covered with scales, that scab layer is just form of
clumps of sticky hairs. Pangolin’s cheeks, chest
and belly don’t have scaly, justalittlefur-lined hard and itsskin of belly is soft and white. They
are verygood atclimbingtrees, livingand
sleep on treesor burrows. Whilesleeporself-defense,
all pangolins are able to roll themselves into a ball; in the
lower partof theirtails tipwithalinefastenedtoaflakemeatbackto doacurlverysureand
veryhard to open. Pangolins have no teeth so they
use their amazingly long, muscular, and sticky tongues that are perfect for
reaching and lapping up ants, termites and wooddestroyinginsects for meals. Pangolins’ life
span is unknown when they live in the wild; some unofficial reports claimed 12
years up to 20 years.

Today,
deforestation and hunting pangolin are main reasons for large decrease in the
numbers of pangolins around the world.

In a blog titled "The Salt" on NPR's website there was an article a few days ago about our dear friends the Pangolins. This blog is dedicated to food and why we eat what we eat. I looked back as far as year and there is not one other article that talks about people eating an animal into extinction. It made me wonder why is that? If you click the link below you can read the full blog post.

Even the New York Times is noticing the Pangolin. They published a blog stating that even though it is illegal in China to eat Pangolin and it is punishable by 10 years or more in prison poaching is still on the rise. Now that the Asian species of Pangolin are nearly extinct the African species are being poached as well. Click the link below to read the full article.

There are many things you can do to take an active role in protecting pangolins. Here are several practical ways you can help:

Don’t eat pangolins. They are highly endangered and any consumption of pangolins encourages more illegal trafficking. In most countries, eating them or purchasing them could bring significant punishment including lengthy imprisonment.

Don’t purchase pangolin products. Similar to eating pangolins, purchasing pangolin medicine, jewelry, scales, or other related products encourages the further reduction of the already endangered population.

Support organizations that are actively advocating for pangolins. There are many good organizations raising awareness of pangolin trafficking, doing research on pangolins, lobbying for increased protection and enforcement of anti-trafficking laws, and initiating conservation programs. There are many great organizations that exist, but here are a few notable ones:

Report pangolin trafficking. If you ever encounter pangolin trafficking, sale or consumption, report the illegal activity to the proper authorities. The more awareness and watchful eyes looking out for the illegal trafficking of pangolins, the more trafficking laws can be enforced and current endangered populations be protected.

Sign petitions and lobby government representatives. Petitions and lobbying efforts can be effective tools to increase awareness among influential individuals and to promote better pangolin conservation and anti-trafficking enforcement. Many petitions have been created on Change.org and other similar websites advocating for greater protection of pangolins. Sending letters and emails to government officials explaining the endangerment issues Pangolins are facing is another way to raise awareness among influential people. It helps those in leadership positions realize that this is an issue of great concern to the general public and that it should be seriously considered in future policy changes.

Help spread awareness of pangolin trafficking. Raising awareness in your social sphere of influence is a simple and effective way of helping pangolins. Share articles you read about pangolins on social media, with your friends and family. Follow pangolin conservation news sources and share the latest updates with others. Raising awareness of this issue is extremely important as it has brought more attention from policy makers, researchers, and conservationists. This in turn brings the change needed in order to protect the survival of pangolins in the future.

Pangolins, which look much like scaly anteaters, are a rare mammal located Asia and Africa. Within the last two decades, it has been estimated by the Pangolin Specialist Group that pangolin populations have fallen by 80%, and within the last decade, over 1,000,000 pangolins have been illegally poached (Mongabay). Traffickers often sell pangolins to use their scales for traditional medicine and their meat as a delicacy meal.

Although pangolins have been placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species and trafficking has been made illegal in many countries, pangolin trafficking remains a rampant issue in many countries. This excessive and senseless poaching is quickly leading to their extinction. Jonathan Baillie, Conservation Program Director at the Zoological Society of London said of pangolin trafficking, "In the 21st Century we really should not be eating species to extinction—there is simply no excuse for allowing this illegal trade to continue” (Mongabay). Even though the pangolin is a small, little known animal of seemingly minimal significance, it is a precious creature that we are in grave danger of losing forever at the hand of humans.

(Photo by Bjorn Olesen/TRAFFIC)

It is our responsibility as part of the global community to do whatever we can to stop the extinction of this rare animal. Losing an entire species of any kind would be a devastating loss to the world we live in. We must be willing to fight just as fervently for less popular animals, like pangolins, as we would for more popular animals like tigers or rhinoceroses. When it comes to the preservation of our world’s species, they all hold equal value. If we are able to work together to prevent the elimination of the most marginalized animals, perhaps there will be hope for other endangered species as well.

To find ways you can get involved today in the fight to save pangolins from illegal trafficking and extinction, please visit these websites:

Imagine you finally received the news that the very important, high paying business deal you're involved in is about to close. This deal could make you far wealthier than you already are. What can you do to to make certain that these individuals want to sign the deal? After sending a quick message to your co-workers, you begin researching where to eat that night (at least you can spend a bit on that on some delicious foie gras). Your phone buzzes. Another member of your team involved in the deal tells you little else besides the time and location of your next meal and to bring A LOT of cash. You show up to the said restaurant and are greeted by a waitress who escorts you to your table in the back of the restaurant. You are told to turn to the last page where the "wild animal" meat section beckons your cash to be spent. A picture of a scaly, ant-eater looking creature stares back at you. This is no duck, pig or fish. Nothing prepared you for the price the waitress quotes when you enquire: $350/kilo with a minimum order of 5 kilos. That's $1,750 just for your meat, let alone the meat of the other five people you are in charge of paying! Surely, this will impress enough to seal the deal. However, you're curiosity beckons you to do a quick Google search of what this creature is and why it's so expensive. After clicking a few times, you stumble upon this article:

This "delicacy" is endangered, on the verge of extinction. Ah, no wonder it comes at such a high price. You excuse yourself and go to the restroom to read more. Article after article highlights the pangolin as the victim of illegal poaching and black market selling. Your moral compass dings a blaring warning signal that you should not participate in this meal. What if the deal doesn't go through because you choose not to participate or you simply excuse yourself from the gathering? What if you create a stir about the illegal activity it took to create a meal like this? What to do...Pangolins will not survive if situations like this continue to occur. The demand to display wealth through the consumption of this meat will never stop until these animals are extinct. For me, the only way I see pangolins surviving is if there is a movement to change the minds of consumers. Learning ways to alter consumers' views on consumption of this gentle mammal become the only way to ensure the pangolin's survival.Quoting from the article,"The action is on the demand side, which is much trickier: Getting governments to sign a popular treaty is easy; changing the behavior of millions of status-conscious consumers is much harder. But it's not impossible."Let's find a way to make this change.

One
of the most extraordinarily mysterious creatures on Earth is the pangolin, a
scaly clawed mammal found in Asia and Africa. Unfortunately, there are two very
sad truths about these animals: they are in danger of going completely extinct
due to poaching for illegal wildlife trade, and there is very little known
about them and their involvement in the illegal wildlife trade. These are
serious issues to have hand in hand, because until experts and conservationists
have the information they need, they cannot adequately protect the pangolins
from the ongoing threat of poaching.

For
the past 15-20 years, most of the poaching activity has been in Asia, with the
Chinese pangolin and Malayan pangolin being the most threatened. Pangolins are
poached and illegally shipped dead and alive disguised with other scaly animals
such as snakes and lizards, and then find their way through secret means to the
Chinese black market and several restaurants across China and Vietnam where
they are prepared and presented as a luxurious delicacy. Asian species of
pangolin have experienced a tremendous loss of population over the past decade,
at almost 25%. Half of these species are already classifies as endangered,
while some experts have claimed that certain species may actually already be
extinct. For this reason, conservationists have been seeing an increase in
poaching African pangolins. If measures are not taken to combat this issue, we
will undoubtedly begin to see the same population loss in African species.
Increased law enforcement and stronger penalties for offenders will help the
problem of poaching, but it is not enough. Further research is needed for
conservationists to better approach means of protection.

news24.com

Pangolins.org,
a site which advocates for the protection of pangolins, states “One of the
biggest challenges in pangolin conservation is that we know very little about
these secretive, elusive creatures.” The Asian Malayan pangolin, for example
has only had one research study published. This is a serious problem because in
order for conservationists to carry out plans and policies to protect these
endangered animals, they need to know more about their population size,
reproduction, general ecology, as well as their involvement in black market
trade. Currently, pangolins in conservation captivities experience a 71% or
higher mortality rate during their first year of life in captivity. More
information about the pangolin’s ecology may greatly aid in better management
of these animals. In addition, increased knowledge about the pangolins way of
life and habitat can help conservationists identify situations in which
pangolins are more vulnerable to poaching, and can then safely capture
pangolins, to later release back into the wild.

More
research is needed in order to effectively fight against the heartbreaking
problem of poaching pangolins, one of the most interesting animals on Earth.
Pangolins.org gravely puts it, “If current trends continue in the face of
limited knowledge about their population size, reproduction, and general
ecology, this species could spiral completely out of existence within the next
ten years.

To
learn more about the need for more research and steps being taken now to fight
the illegal trade of pangolins, visit these helpful websites:

The
pangolin is a small mysterious creature with scales, a long nose, and big
claws. There are eight species of pangolin: four Asian species and four African
species. One of the unfortunate common characteristic among these eight species
of pangolin is that they are all in danger of being drove to extinction.
Currently, the four Asian species of pangolin are in the most danger, due to
the fact that the largest demand for pangolin meat and scales comes from China
and Vietnam. However, conservationists are already seeing an increase in
pangolin poaching in Africa as a response to the decreasing numbers of
pangolins left in Asia.

en.wikipedia.org

First
of the four Asian species of pangolin is the Chinese, or “Formosan” pangolin (Manis pentadactyla.) This species has
been classified Critically endangered, and is one of the most sought out
species of pangolin in the traditional Chinese medicine market. While these
animals were once known to be very abundant as recently as the 1980’s, they are
now extremely rare and highly endangered. The second species of Asian pangolin
is the Malayan, or “Sunda” (Manis
javanica.) This pangolin is much like the Chinese pangolin, but much less
information is known about them. The Malayan pangolin has been classified
Critically Endangered, but only one study on them has been published. The third
and fourth species of Asian pangolin are the Indian, or “thick-tailed” pangolin
(manis crassicaudata,) and the
Philippine or “Palawan” pangolin (manis
culionesis.) Little is known of these two species, but they are both
classified as Endangered.

ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com

The
“Tree” or African white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus
tricuspis) is the first of the African pangolin species. It has been
classified as Vulnerable, and is the fourth harvested species across 47 African
sites. While the tree pangolin may be the most common African forest species,
experts and conservationists believe that their endangerment status should be
updated to reflect their significant decline in population over the past
decade, at nearly 25%. The second species of African pangolin is the Giant
ground pangolin (Smutsia gigantea.) Named
for its size, this pangolin can reach lengths of up to six feet, and up to 73
pounds! Like the Tree pangolin, the Giant ground pangolin is also classified as
Vulnerable and has also experienced a nearly 25% decrease in population in the
last 15 years. The third and fourth species of African pangolin are the Cape,
or “Temminck’s” ground pangolin (Manis
temminckii,) and the Long-tailed or black-bellied pangolin (Uromanis tetradactyla.) These two
species are classified as Vulnerable.

To
learn more about the eight species of pangolin, and what is being done to
protect and conserve them, take a look at these helpful websites:

I came upon this article on NPR and while my logical brain can process the information about the current state of survival of the species I found it very hard not to be emotional.
Would you eat a small animal that does you no harm? Would you eat a dog? A feral cat? Where is the line between food as means for survival versus delicacy? These are ethical dilemmas that my Western brain has hard time processing.
Pangolins have become luxury food like shark fin driven by both its rarity and uniqueness. In Traditional Chinese Medicine pangolins it was the scales of pangolins that were seen as cure for various conditions, for reducing swelling and boosting lactation. In modern days it is the thought of “wild meat” that is driving the demand for pangolins. Pangolin meat has become a traditional meal served during business meals by large corporations.
Trade of pangolins is banned in China yet pangolins are imported as far as Indonesia and Africa to satisfy the demand in China. Serving a dish with pangolin meat is seen as status symbol to show that the restaurant is above the law. In a paper published in 2011 the numbers are overwhelming - 24 tons of pangolins were seized between 2006 and 2009. Once can only imagine the scale of the actual impact on pangolin population.

Reading about Pangolins and their current state is only the beginning. People need to act, YOU need act, WE need to act. Showing your support is as easy as spreading the word. Take what you have learned from our blog and the links you followed and tell your friends and family. The more people that know, the greater chance we have to help save this mammal from extinction.

There are eight species of pangolins in the world. Four
species live in Asia and the other four live in Africa. The Asian species of
pangolins are the Chinese pangolin, Sunda pangolin, Indian pangolin and the Philippine
pangolin. These four Asian species are the most endangered of the eight. The
Chinese and Sunda pangolins are labeled critically endangered and the Indian
and Philippine pangolins are not too far behind labeled endangered
(savepangolins.org). The other four species live in Africa are the cape or
Temminck’s ground pangolin, white bellied or tree pangolin, the giant ground
pangolin and the black-bellied or long tailed pangolin. A few weeks ago African
pangolins were labeled “least concern” now recently updated to vulnerable on
the red list (The Guardian). Why the
sudden change one may ask? The poaching that happens in Asia for pangolins has
expanded into Africa do to the high demand of scales, meat, and medicine that
pangolins are known for. The trade between Africa and Asia for the endangered
species is increasing (national geographic) and with that the population of
African pangolins is decreasing moving them farther up on the endangered species
list. Soon there will be no beautiful pangolins left which is all the more
reason to put an end to poaching pangolins.Asian Pangolins have small thick
hairs that emerge between there scales and African pangolins do not. (National Geographic).